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Designated ASCA voting members are encouraged to vote for the members of the ASCA Board of Directors. The candidates selected to serve on the ASCA Board will also serve on the ASCA Foundation Board. Learn more about the candidates and cast your ballot by Monday, May 8.
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ASCA congratulates the graduates of the inaugural class of the ASC Administrator Development Program. This class, which ran from April 2022–March 2023, consisted of 24 mentees and 18 mentors. Applications for the next cohort, a virtual class running October 2023–September 2024, will be accepted this summer.
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ASCA has posted an updated 2023 Q2 Medicare Rate Calculator based on the April addenda posted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 3. Please read the note regarding the new complexity adjustment policy in 2023 that affects codes C7500 to C7555.
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Top 5 KPIs all ASCs Should be Tracking
You've heard it a million times, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it," and that's undoubtedly true for surgery centers. On this week's episode of This Week in Surgery Centers, we dive into the top five KPIs all surgery centers should be tracking, determining what to measure, collecting the data, and so much more. Make sure to subscribe - new podcast episodes are released every Tuesday!
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Hear ASCA CEO Bill Prentice speak during the McDermott Will & Emery Physician Practice Management & ASC Symposium 2023, April 11–12 in Nashville, TN. Prentice will join the panel discussion “Washington Outlook: Evolving Federal Policy Impacting Your Operations and Deal Strategies” at 12:00 pm CT on Wednesday, April 12. The conference registration fee is waived for ASCA members.
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Visit the ASC Focus website to read the latest edition of the ASC Focus magazine. Highlights include: “Be a Mentor, Seek a Mentor,” “ASC Accreditation Organizations Report Changes” and “Avoid Citations on Controlled Substances.”
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When starting or expanding an ASC, efficiency is critical.
Opening or expanding a successful ASC takes more than medical expertise. Establishing efficiencies from the start—operational, financial and procedural—is also critical to building a healthy bottom line.
Learn how our dedicated BD ASC team’s deep expertise, full-service support and comprehensive portfolio of category-leading products may help uncover efficiency and performance at each step of the new build journey.
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The next deadline for submitting Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program data for several measures is Monday, May 15.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a webinar, “A Guide to Successful Reporting in the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR) Program,” on Wednesday, April 12, at 2:00 pm ET.
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The Joint Commission has released its Sentinel Event Data 2022 Annual Review on serious adverse events from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2022. A sentinel event is a patient safety event that results in death, permanent harm or severe temporary harm.
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Joint Commission Press Release (04/04/23)
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the final 2024 MA and Part D rule that introduces key policy changes. In addition to prior authorization, the rule includes changes for star ratings as well as provider directory and marketing reforms.
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Fierce Healthcare (04/05/23) Robert King
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In this cross-sectional study with a nested cohort that included 7067 patients older than 75 years undergoing screening colonoscopies, the percentage of colonoscopies performed on patients with a life expectancy of fewer than 10 years was 30 percent for those aged 76 years to 80 years, 71 percent for those aged 81 years to 85 years, and 100 percent of patients aged beyond 85 years. Fifteen patients (0.2 percent) were found to have invasive adenocarcinoma with 5 patients undergoing cancer treatment; furthermore, adverse events requiring hospitalization were common at 10 days (13.58 per 1000) and increased with age, particularly among patients older than 85 years.
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JAMA Internal Medicine (04/03/23) Jessica El Halabi; Carol A. Burke; Essa Hariri; et al.
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It's not just your imagination: Drugs such as children's flu medication, common antibiotics and ADHD treatments are getting harder to buy, according to a Senate report published Wednesday. Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee say the number of new drug shortages rose by 30% between 2021 and 2022, an increase that has had "devastating consequences" for patients and doctors.
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NPR (03/23/23) Emily Olson
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These findings suggest that recent COVID-19 infection was not associated with risk of adverse postoperative outcomes, regardless of timing within the previous 60 days. A recent study found surgery within 8 weeks after a positive COVID-19 test result was associated with higher 90-day mortality vs matched controls.
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JAMA Network Open (03/28/23) William J. O’Brien; Kalpana Gupta; Kamal M. F. Itani; et al.
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New research published in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests that Medicare reimbursements for complex cataract surgery cover less than two minutes of operating time, and an increase to reimbursements for the procedure may be justified. Complex cataract surgery requires more time and resources than simple cataract surgery, and this study indicates that the incremental reimbursement for the complex surgery is not enough to offset the increased costs.
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Medical Xpress (03/22/23) Tessa Roy
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About ASCAMission: The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) is the national membership association that represents ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and provides advocacy and resources to assist ASCs in delivering high-quality, cost-effective ambulatory surgery to all the patients they serve. About Us: At ASCA, we are eager to help you become better acquainted with our nation's ASCs and the people who own and operate them. We are also eager to help you develop policies on ASC-related issues. If you have questions, please contact us. We'll put you in touch with the experts and, if you like, arrange for you to visit an ASC in your area. Contact Us: Advertising inquiries should be addressed to Chris Schriever or Alex Yewdell at 202.337.1897 or at advertising@ascassociation.org. Follow ASCA on
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